Television - yay or nay?

I have always been a firm believer that children should not watch much TV at all. Since my son turned 1, he seems more interested in cartoons, and I can see where it would be easy to fall into the habit of allowing him to watch TV. But I was reading an article tonight and a few things caught my attention. Here are some quotes from the article that I found interesting.First of all, I think many parents feel it's ok for their child to watch TV, because they are "educational." Here is a snippet of what the article said about that:"Though some television may seem to promote learning, it doesn't allow young children to learn from hands on experience, which is how they learn best."

Here are some scary stats about the average child watching TV.:if your child watches as much TV as the average child, by the time she has graduated highschool, "research suggests she will have witnessed 18,000 murders, countless robberies, rapes, bombings, and beatings, and more casual sex than you could imagine. She will also have been the target of 350,000 commercials trying to sell, (and through her, you,) products of dubious value."

Those statistics were very scary to me. Obvioulsy my one year old is not watching those kinds of shows now, but what kinds of things is he witnessing while we watch TV? Also, as the article suggests, if they watch even cartoons and educational shows while they are young, they quickly become part of the "average" child TV watchers through habits.The article talked about children who watch too much TV at a young age are much more likely to have attention disorders as they grow older. Over all, I have decided to stop allowing my son to watch the cartoons we've grown accustomed to recently. He can watch them occasionally, but not every day.What do other moms allow? What do you feel is best for your children?

I have always been a firm believer that children should not watch much TV at all. Since my son turned 1, he seems more interested in cartoons, and I can see where it would be easy to fall into the habit of allowing him to watch TV. But I was reading an article tonight and a few things caught my attention. Here are some quotes from the article that I found interesting.First of all, I think many parents feel it's ok for their child to watch TV, because they are "educational." Here is a snippet of what the article said about that:"Though some television may seem to promote learning, it doesn't allow young children to learn from hands on experience, which is how they learn best."

Here are some scary stats about the average child watching TV.:if your child watches as much TV as the average child, by the time she has graduated highschool, "research suggests she will have witnessed 18,000 murders, countless robberies, rapes, bombings, and beatings, and more casual sex than you could imagine. She will also have been the target of 350,000 commercials trying to sell, (and through her, you,) products of dubious value."

Those statistics were very scary to me. Obvioulsy my one year old is not watching those kinds of shows now, but what kinds of things is he witnessing while we watch TV? Also, as the article suggests, if they watch even cartoons and educational shows while they are young, they quickly become part of the "average" child TV watchers through habits.The article talked about children who watch too much TV at a young age are much more likely to have attention disorders as they grow older. Over all, I have decided to stop allowing my son to watch the cartoons we've grown accustomed to recently. He can watch them occasionally, but not every day.What do other moms allow? What do you feel is best for your children?

I've gone nay. My bub is only six months... But I have gone TV less since she has arrived and am delighted to be out of the daytime crap grasp! Granted I do have one year mat leave (yay Canada). I sing and read to her, she plays in her exersaucer, swing and gym. There's barely anytime left between all that, naps and feedings. So I've gotten busy in other ways. I assume it will actually get easier as she grows up as there will be more games to play. Most likely they will be more time consuming too. I've just been sold on quality, one on one time. There has to be a benefit right there. And I also feel we have to let our children use their own imaginations instead of constantly throwing flashy sounds and colors at them. No wonder kids struggle to pay attention to a boring, non flashy, plain human teacher they can't control, fast forward or skip. I say books FTW!

I've gone nay. My bub is only six months... But I have gone TV less since she has arrived and am delighted to be out of the daytime crap grasp! Granted I do have one year mat leave (yay Canada). I sing and read to her, she plays in her exersaucer, swing and gym. There's barely anytime left between all that, naps and feedings. So I've gotten busy in other ways. I assume it will actually get easier as she grows up as there will be more games to play. Most likely they will be more time consuming too. I've just been sold on quality, one on one time. There has to be a benefit right there. And I also feel we have to let our children use their own imaginations instead of constantly throwing flashy sounds and colors at them. No wonder kids struggle to pay attention to a boring, non flashy, plain human teacher they can't control, fast forward or skip. I say books FTW!

Personally, I rarely watch tv myself...maybe an hour a week if that? DH is an addict, he's got tivo'd episodes to last for a month! As far as the LO, she loves Nick Jr and has a preference for Dora/Diego. Her daily habits depend on what's going on at the moment...rainy day and mom has bad morning sickness=more TV than usual. Most days the goal is a show or two, no more. On rare days she gets way more and I feel guilty and try to make up for it by planning other activities.

I like NJ bc of no commercials. Since I don't watch tv, we read or play alot when dad is watching. I try not to let the statistics scare me.I don't mind tv but I don't want it to be her primary source of entertainment. There are alot of bad messages out there, especially for older children/teenagers.

Personally, I rarely watch tv myself...maybe an hour a week if that? DH is an addict, he's got tivo'd episodes to last for a month! As far as the LO, she loves Nick Jr and has a preference for Dora/Diego. Her daily habits depend on what's going on at the moment...rainy day and mom has bad morning sickness=more TV than usual. Most days the goal is a show or two, no more. On rare days she gets way more and I feel guilty and try to make up for it by planning other activities.

I like NJ bc of no commercials. Since I don't watch tv, we read or play alot when dad is watching. I try not to let the statistics scare me.I don't mind tv but I don't want it to be her primary source of entertainment. There are alot of bad messages out there, especially for older children/teenagers.

During the summer my DSS gets to watch half an hour of t.v. in the morning and half an hour after dinner on a normal day. Since I have been pregnant I have had extremely bad morning sickness, so I let him watch more than normal as I have been spending most of my time in the bathroom. :( Â Now that school has started again he gets to watch one episode of his choice per day and on Saturday evenings we usually watch a movie as a family.Â

During the summer my DSS gets to watch half an hour of t.v. in the morning and half an hour after dinner on a normal day. Since I have been pregnant I have had extremely bad morning sickness, so I let him watch more than normal as I have been spending most of my time in the bathroom. :( Â Now that school has started again he gets to watch one episode of his choice per day and on Saturday evenings we usually watch a movie as a family.Â

I grew up in front of the TV, and I do NOT want that for my kids. Â Right now we only have a 13" TV and only get ABC, CBS, and PBS, so the only TV we watch is on the Internet after Lina goes to bed. Â I turned on Sesame Street twice last week just to see her reaction. Â She completely ignored it, which is fine with me.

As she gets older I'll let her watch TV occasionally, because I think there's something to be said for having a shared experience with your peers. Â (I've had lots of social experiences over the years where the ice was broken by comments like, "Wasn't that a Seinfeld episode?" or "Can you believe who won Project Runway last night?") Â But I don't ever want my kids to get to the point where they stop what they're doing or refuse a playdate because a certain show comes on.

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I grew up in front of the TV, and I do NOT want that for my kids. Â Right now we only have a 13" TV and only get ABC, CBS, and PBS, so the only TV we watch is on the Internet after Lina goes to bed. Â I turned on Sesame Street twice last week just to see her reaction. Â She completely ignored it, which is fine with me.

As she gets older I'll let her watch TV occasionally, because I think there's something to be said for having a shared experience with your peers. Â (I've had lots of social experiences over the years where the ice was broken by comments like, "Wasn't that a Seinfeld episode?" or "Can you believe who won Project Runway last night?") Â But I don't ever want my kids to get to the point where they stop what they're doing or refuse a playdate because a certain show comes on.

My son loves Nick Jr. He sings alone and counts with them. I let him watch for a good part of the day only because he isn't a couch potato watching them. He's up dancing around and moving the whole time. If he spend hours laying in front the tv zombie'd out, then no, the tv would be off.

My son loves Nick Jr. He sings alone and counts with them. I let him watch for a good part of the day only because he isn't a couch potato watching them. He's up dancing around and moving the whole time. If he spend hours laying in front the tv zombie'd out, then no, the tv would be off.

I have to agree with everything posted. Children learn way more with hands on approach than sitting in front of a tv. That said, I've been guilty of sending my kids to watch tv when I need a break or they are too hyper. They sit, watch and completely mellow out. Does that suck of me? Yeah it probably does but sometimes I need a break from it all. Tv helps with that.

I have to agree with everything posted. Children learn way more with hands on approach than sitting in front of a tv. That said, I've been guilty of sending my kids to watch tv when I need a break or they are too hyper. They sit, watch and completely mellow out. Does that suck of me? Yeah it probably does but sometimes I need a break from it all. Tv helps with that.

I let Hayley watch TV and the TV is always sort of on in the background of whatever we are doing. I am not worried about her being exposed to murders, rapes, robberies, and the like. My dad and I watched Law and Order together since I was young young young. It affected me. I went to police college after high school. I think it depends on how you deal with those things. I am a very conscious and intelligent person and I don't think tv watching interferred with that. The media is the message is something Marshall McLuhen is known for saying. It doesnn't matter what is on the tv. The tv, or radio, or internet each have a way of reacting with your brain and making it work in different ways. It has to do with what information is given to you and what information is dependant on your brain to fill in. For example, when you listen to the radio your brain is filling in for the lack of a visual. Your brain will work to create the visual. When you are watching tv, your brain is actually working hard at putting pixels in their place to translate into a picture and a story in your mind. It is true though, that while watching tv, your brain goes almost trance like and this wouldnt be a good way to be stagnant all day. But if you balance it out and read books, get outside, and play, I dont think using your brain in different ways is much of a deterrent.

I let Hayley watch TV and the TV is always sort of on in the background of whatever we are doing. I am not worried about her being exposed to murders, rapes, robberies, and the like. My dad and I watched Law and Order together since I was young young young. It affected me. I went to police college after high school. I think it depends on how you deal with those things. I am a very conscious and intelligent person and I don't think tv watching interferred with that. The media is the message is something Marshall McLuhen is known for saying. It doesnn't matter what is on the tv. The tv, or radio, or internet each have a way of reacting with your brain and making it work in different ways. It has to do with what information is given to you and what information is dependant on your brain to fill in. For example, when you listen to the radio your brain is filling in for the lack of a visual. Your brain will work to create the visual. When you are watching tv, your brain is actually working hard at putting pixels in their place to translate into a picture and a story in your mind. It is true though, that while watching tv, your brain goes almost trance like and this wouldnt be a good way to be stagnant all day. But if you balance it out and read books, get outside, and play, I dont think using your brain in different ways is much of a deterrent.

Like a PP said, everything in moderation. I let John watch NickJr while I cook dinner because I would much rather him watch the TV for 20 minutes, than me have to worry about him standing under my feet and sticking his hands in the hot oven. (He's starting to learn how to open the oven...time to look for locks!)

Like a PP said, everything in moderation. I let John watch NickJr while I cook dinner because I would much rather him watch the TV for 20 minutes, than me have to worry about him standing under my feet and sticking his hands in the hot oven. (He's starting to learn how to open the oven...time to look for locks!)

My 16 month old watches about 30-45 minutes of tv a day. All of that is kids programming (Barney, the Wiggles, etc). On the weekends these days, she also "watches" a lot of college football :)

I do think moderation is the key and I would never just leave her in front of the tv for hours on end. But that said, my daughter is non-stop. When she is not watching the few shows for the few minutes that I let her watch, she is on the go. I am with her all day and for most of the day we are playing or at gymboree or story time or outside now that it has cooled off so I'm not overly concerned that she is not learning.

I'm also 7 months pregnant and I need to just sit down sometimes. Like I said, she is very high energy and she wears me out. Sometimes I just need a few minutes (like now) to sit down and relax and catch my breath. It rarely lasts more than 10-15 minutes, but the tv is a life saver for me.

My 16 month old watches about 30-45 minutes of tv a day. All of that is kids programming (Barney, the Wiggles, etc). On the weekends these days, she also "watches" a lot of college football :)

I do think moderation is the key and I would never just leave her in front of the tv for hours on end. But that said, my daughter is non-stop. When she is not watching the few shows for the few minutes that I let her watch, she is on the go. I am with her all day and for most of the day we are playing or at gymboree or story time or outside now that it has cooled off so I'm not overly concerned that she is not learning.

I'm also 7 months pregnant and I need to just sit down sometimes. Like I said, she is very high energy and she wears me out. Sometimes I just need a few minutes (like now) to sit down and relax and catch my breath. It rarely lasts more than 10-15 minutes, but the tv is a life saver for me.

I limit my children and tv and if its nice outside that is where they need to be once homework is done. But honestly with my oldest in football they come do homework get a snack maybe watch a half and hour of tv then we are out the door for practice or games/ I also sensor what they watch they arent allowed to watch any cartoon out there. Like my sil her kids can wtch whatever mine cant and they know they cant. But I have found out when they were there at my sil house they watched movies and stuff I would never allow my kids to watch. Now my little one who is almost a year. Loves Mickey mouse but he doesnt actually watch it perse. I have it on because in the morning he likes the hotdog song and thats about it. He is too busy getting into things lol. I will keep it on pbs sometimes too does he watch it no but I figure hearing that then hearing some of the junk I like to watch is better. I do think parents need tpo monitor more what their children are watching on tv when they do watch it.

I limit my children and tv and if its nice outside that is where they need to be once homework is done. But honestly with my oldest in football they come do homework get a snack maybe watch a half and hour of tv then we are out the door for practice or games/ I also sensor what they watch they arent allowed to watch any cartoon out there. Like my sil her kids can wtch whatever mine cant and they know they cant. But I have found out when they were there at my sil house they watched movies and stuff I would never allow my kids to watch. Now my little one who is almost a year. Loves Mickey mouse but he doesnt actually watch it perse. I have it on because in the morning he likes the hotdog song and thats about it. He is too busy getting into things lol. I will keep it on pbs sometimes too does he watch it no but I figure hearing that then hearing some of the junk I like to watch is better. I do think parents need tpo monitor more what their children are watching on tv when they do watch it.

Madelynn (my 2 year old) loves tv. She would watch all day if I let her and sadly when she visits my in-laws, they DO let her because they don't know what else to do with her.

Anyway, she loves Dora, Kai-lan, Fresh Beat Band, Wonder Pets and Sesame Street. She knows how to count to 20 in english, 15 in spanish and 3 in chinese. And, I did not teach her spanish or chinese. She learned those from Dora and Kai-lan. She is very intelligent but I do limit how much she watches. I also do not watch any television show that has swearing, murders, sex scenes etc. when she is in the room. I wait until she is in bed for House, SVU, Dexter and True Blood. :)

Moderation is key.

However, I do believe some television is definitely educational.

Madelynn (my 2 year old) loves tv. She would watch all day if I let her and sadly when she visits my in-laws, they DO let her because they don't know what else to do with her.

Anyway, she loves Dora, Kai-lan, Fresh Beat Band, Wonder Pets and Sesame Street. She knows how to count to 20 in english, 15 in spanish and 3 in chinese. And, I did not teach her spanish or chinese. She learned those from Dora and Kai-lan. She is very intelligent but I do limit how much she watches. I also do not watch any television show that has swearing, murders, sex scenes etc. when she is in the room. I wait until she is in bed for House, SVU, Dexter and True Blood. :)

Obviously I agree that moderation is important with most things. I will allow an occasional cartoon, but I'm going to try and save it for times when I really need him to occupied, like while I'm cooking, or paying bills etc.. I also need to make a conscious effort to keep the TV off as background noise. I tend to like it on during the day, even though there aren't many daytime shows I like, but I like the background noise. One thing the article mentioned was that constantly having "something" in your head, like the TV, can clutter up your thinking, especially when you're young. That your brain is constantly trying to process what it's hearing, and can spend less time imagining things and concentrating on other things. So, today I kept the TV completely off until about 5 minutes ago when we got back from our walk. :) He's going to watch a few minutes worth while he has his juice, then he goes down for his nap, and that will be all he watches today.

I have a friend on FB, who has a 3 year old. Her statuses constantly say things like, "Watching Snow White for the 4th time today, my little girl loves this movie and we can say every word by heart!" (or some variation of a phrase like this) I sometimes wonder if they do anything else. Of course I know it's not my business really, but I can't help but let it bug me sometimes. That's why I turn to WTE to see what other mom's have to say instead of letting it irritate me too much.

Now here's a change I want to make that will be a lot harder. I feel like DS will think it's normal to see mom's face behind a laptop screen. While we do a lot of interactive play. I am on the computer much of the day. Between, WTE, FB, SparkPeople, news, bills, online banking, and random surfing, I spend probably 2-3 hours a day online. I don't think that means my son will be harmed by it, but I also know that I need to model moderation in my own habits as well.

Do you think you spend too much time online? Is there a such thing as TOO much computer time, or is it all productive activity? Just curious what some others thoughts are.

Obviously I agree that moderation is important with most things. I will allow an occasional cartoon, but I'm going to try and save it for times when I really need him to occupied, like while I'm cooking, or paying bills etc.. I also need to make a conscious effort to keep the TV off as background noise. I tend to like it on during the day, even though there aren't many daytime shows I like, but I like the background noise. One thing the article mentioned was that constantly having "something" in your head, like the TV, can clutter up your thinking, especially when you're young. That your brain is constantly trying to process what it's hearing, and can spend less time imagining things and concentrating on other things. So, today I kept the TV completely off until about 5 minutes ago when we got back from our walk. :) He's going to watch a few minutes worth while he has his juice, then he goes down for his nap, and that will be all he watches today.

I have a friend on FB, who has a 3 year old. Her statuses constantly say things like, "Watching Snow White for the 4th time today, my little girl loves this movie and we can say every word by heart!" (or some variation of a phrase like this) I sometimes wonder if they do anything else. Of course I know it's not my business really, but I can't help but let it bug me sometimes. That's why I turn to WTE to see what other mom's have to say instead of letting it irritate me too much.

Now here's a change I want to make that will be a lot harder. I feel like DS will think it's normal to see mom's face behind a laptop screen. While we do a lot of interactive play. I am on the computer much of the day. Between, WTE, FB, SparkPeople, news, bills, online banking, and random surfing, I spend probably 2-3 hours a day online. I don't think that means my son will be harmed by it, but I also know that I need to model moderation in my own habits as well.

Do you think you spend too much time online? Is there a such thing as TOO much computer time, or is it all productive activity? Just curious what some others thoughts are.

I want to say "nay" but unfortunately I fall into the "yay" category. Dd probably watches an hour a day max while we are at home. When traveling, a lot less. She primarily watches sesame street which is an hour long. I record on dvr so that when it is over, the tv is off. I do this so I can make dinner and get ready in the morning! Terrible I know... A while ago, it was much less...Â

I want to say "nay" but unfortunately I fall into the "yay" category. Dd probably watches an hour a day max while we are at home. When traveling, a lot less. She primarily watches sesame street which is an hour long. I record on dvr so that when it is over, the tv is off. I do this so I can make dinner and get ready in the morning! Terrible I know... A while ago, it was much less...Â

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